USC Looms, and All the News Is as Gloomy as the Weather

A look at the links is enough to take the joy out of breakfast.

Ken Goe points out the Ducks have been outscored 79-20 in their last two trips to the Coliseum, and haven't won there since Joey Harrington was quarterback.

Rob Moseley has a story on Matt Barkley and the USC passing game. Barkley has 20 touchdown passes and has thrown 119 straight attempts without an interception. He has a hot hand, throwing for 742 yards and eight touchdowns in the Trojan's last two games.

Chip Kelly calls USC "the most talented team in our league, by far."

Ted Miller says SC "wants to give Oregon nightmares."

Stephen Alexander of the Portland Tribune reports Darron Thomas feels pretty optimistic about this game. But that's just his style. Obviously he doesn't read the papers.

*********

The game is on the road, at night, on grass, against a talented team that showed signs of putting it together in their last game. The Trojans have a balanced offense with multiple weapons and big play capability, a big offensive line, fast backs and receivers, and one of the best quarterbacks in the country. They're a wounded animal used to being dominant, and have little to play for beyond this game. Andrew Luck gave the Ducks a lot of trouble with a much less talented supporting cast.

A certain portion of Duck fans are prone to panic, simply from years of learned behavior. We're used to the roof caving in, even in seasons when there was every reason to dream. They got so close in 2001 and 2007. This game feels a little like Stanford last season, minus the letdown/overlook factor. How could anyone overlook USC? Yet the Trojans have the combination of skills and style that in recent years have given the Ducks the most trouble.

We'll find out if Oregon is truly as good as their record. Are they ready to stay on the big stage, or will they fall back? This game will either validate the Ducks, or expose them.

One thing is certain. Saturday at the Coliseum on ABC will require the best effort of the year from Nick Alliotti's defense. USC has the personnel to challenge them like no one else on the schedule, except possibly their bowl opponent.

Win, and their national relevance and acclaim grows to an unchecked, unprecedented level. Winning a tough road game like this silences the critics and converts the skeptics. Lose, and Oregon is in a mad scramble for the PAC-10 title, no longer nationally relevant. They're back to being the nice little team from the Northwest with the snazzy uniforms and entertaining offense. We'll still love them, but College Game Day and the BCS selection show will no longer pay them much mind.

Can the UO front line get pressure on Matt Barkley? Can Talmadge Jackson and Cliff Harris cover Ronald Johnson and Robert Woods? Cal couldn't. Can Oregon win a shootout, on grass and on the road? Will a bye week give Monte Kiffin and the USC defense an edge in preparing for the spread offense and the Ducks' fast pace?

The Webfoots have a few advantages of their own. Coach Kelly has carefully taught them to prepare the same way for every opponent, so this week with the attendant hype and presumed pressure is nothing new. They're used to playing with urgency and accustomed to getting the opponent's best effort. USC will attack and pressure and come out fired up, but so has everyone else. The Ducks are a mature and unified group.

This year's team is significantly better than last. They are deeper and have stronger senior leadership. Key players like Casey Matthews and Brandon Bair have stepped up their games. And with Darron Thomas at quarterback, Oregon has a downfield passing game to match its imposing running attack. Teams can't sell out to stop LaMichael James. Thomas uses all five receivers effectively, and sees the whole field. He's rapidly learned to check off to alternate receivers and scan his options. He's tough in the pocket and unrattled by pressure.

The Quack attack has deception and balance and a multiplicity of weapons. This year's receivers aren't as talented a group as Oregon had in 2007 and 2001, but they understand and execute their assignments with a high degree of discipline and consistency. They are very well coached and work extremely well as a unit. Their downfield blocking is the best in college football, adding immensely to the team's explosiveness. Any play in the Helfrich/Kelly playbook can go the distance, and the Ducks get very efficient production on first down, because they execute so well.

James' phenomenal quickness aids the offensive line tremendously; he scoots through small creases, creates runs by eluding unblocked or partly blocked defenders, and finishes with toughness after contact. People remember him for the plus-25-yard runs, but all game long he is turning two into five and five into twelve with relentlessness, desire and creativity.

James is not as fast as Jonathan Stewart, but he is better suited to the spread offense, being quick and slippery and hard to find, more elusive in the open field. Stewart was big, fast and powerful, but really built to be more of a traditional I-formation tailback, running downhill with a fullback in front of him. Oddly, LMJ has been more durable in his Oregon career. Stewart had to play through some nagging injuries, particularly turf toe, which bothered him for most of his final year in Eugene.

Without stars like Stewart and Harrington there would be no Thomas and James. The success and increased attention the Ducks achieved with less in '90s and '00s created this legacy, this rising tide of notoriety and accomplishment. Now the current Ducks have to finish the job. They have to throw off the old blanket of the contender and earn the right to put on the belt and silk robe of the winner of the main event. And Saturday is the eighth round of the main event. Lose, and the Ducks are back on the undercard.